Dense shuttered fiber optic connectors and assemblies suitable for establishing optical connections for optical backplanes in equipment racks

ABSTRACT

Dense shuttered fiber optic connectors and assemblies suitable for establishing optical connections for optical backplanes in equipment racks are disclosed. In one embodiment, a fiber optic connector assembly is provided. The fiber optic connector assembly comprises a fiber optic connector. The fiber optic connector assembly also comprises a slideable shutter disposed in the fiber optic connector. The slideable shutter has an opening(s) configured to be aligned with a plurality of lenses disposed in the fiber optic connector in an open position, and configured to block access to the plurality of lenses disposed in the fiber optic connector in a closed position. The fiber optic connector assembly also comprises an actuation member coupled to the slideable shutter configured to move the slideable shutter from the closed position to the open position.

PRIORITY APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of International Application No.PCT/US12/23626 filed Feb. 2, 2012, which claims the benefit of priorityto U.S. Application No. 61/438,847, filed Feb. 2, 2011, bothapplications being incorporated herein by reference.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application is related to PCT Patent ApplicationPCT/US12/23635 filed on Feb. 2, 2012 and entitled “DENSE FIBER OPTICCONNECTOR ASSEMBLIES AND RELATED CONNECTORS AND CABLES SUITABLE FORESTABLISHING OPTICAL CONNECTIONS FOR OPTICAL BACKPLANES IN EQUIPMENTRACKS,” which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

The present application is also related to PCT Patent ApplicationPCT/US12/23622 filed on Feb. 2, 2012 and entitled “OPTICAL BACKPLANEEXTENSION MODULES, AND RELATED ASSEMBLIES SUITABLE FOR ESTABLISHINGOPTICAL CONNECTIONS TO INFORMATION PROCESSING MODULES DISPOSED INEQUIPMENT RACKS,” which is incorporated herein by reference in itsentirety.

BACKGROUND

1. Field of the Disclosure

The technology of the disclosure relates to dense fiber opticconnectors, and related fiber optic components, housings, and modulesfor facilitating optical connections for information processing modules(e.g., a server blade) disposed in an equipment rack.

2. Technical Background

A data center is a facility used to remotely house computer systems andassociated components. These systems may be used for a variety ofpurposes. Examples include telecommunications such as telecommunicationsand storage systems applications, server farms for web page accesses,remote storage, such as for backup storage purposes, and providingaccess to Enterprise applications. To provide for efficient managementof these computer systems, data centers include equipment racks, such asthe equipment rack 10 illustrated in FIG. 1. For example, the equipmentrack 10 in FIG. 1 is comprised of rails 12A, 12B extending in a verticaldirection and spaced a distance apart to support a plurality of modularhousings 14 disposed between the rails 12A, 12B in vertical space forefficient use of data center space. The modular housings 14 areconfigured to support information processing devices 16, such ascomputer servers and data storage devices, as examples, in the form ofcards 18, also referred to as “blades 18.” The blades 18 may be printedcircuit boards (PCBs) containing computer-based components andelectrical traces for connections between components. The modularhousings 14 may also include a backplane (not shown) connected to powerand other data transfer devices which are coupled to the informationprocessing devices 16 when installed in the modular housing 14 andconnected to the backplane.

As the demand for access to remote applications and data storageincreases, it will be desirable to find ways to increase computationalpower and data throughput of data center computer devices. It will bedesirable to find ways to increase computational power and datathroughput of data center computer devices without necessarily having toincrease floor space of data centers.

SUMMARY

Embodiments disclosed herein include dense shuttered fiber opticconnectors and assemblies suitable for establishing optical connectionsfor optical backplanes in equipment racks. In this regard in oneembodiment, a fiber optic connector assembly is provided. The fiberoptic connector assembly comprises a fiber optic connector. The fiberoptic connector assembly also comprises a slideable shutter disposed inthe fiber optic connector. The slideable shutter has an opening(s)configured to be aligned with a plurality of optical fibers disposed inthe fiber optic connector in an open position, and configured to blockaccess to the plurality of optical fibers disposed in the fiber opticconnector in a closed position. The fiber optic connector assembly alsocomprises an actuation member coupled to the slideable shutterconfigured to move the slideable shutter from the closed position to theopen position.

In another embodiment, a method of providing access to a plurality oflenses in a fiber optic connector assembly is provided. The fiber opticconnector assembly may be a fiber optic connector assembly configured tosupport a high density fiber count. The method comprises providing afiber optic connector. The fiber optic connector comprises a fiber opticconnector body having a first end, a second end, and an internal chamberdisposed between the first end and the second end. The fiber opticconnector also comprises a fiber optic ferrule comprising a plurality oflenses. The fiber optic ferrule is disposed through a first end of thefiber optic connector body and extending in the internal chamber. Thefiber optic connector also comprises a slideable shutter disposedadjacent an end face of the fiber optic ferrule. The slideable shutterhas at least one opening configured to be aligned with the plurality oflenses in the fiber optic ferrule in an open position, and configured toblock access to the plurality of lenses in the fiber optic ferrule in aclosed position. The fiber optic connector also comprises an actuationmember coupled to the slideable shutter. The actuation member isconfigured to move the slideable shutter from the closed position to theopen position. The method also comprises actuating the actuation memberto move the slideable shutter from the closed position to the openposition.

In another embodiment, a fiber optic connector assembly is provided. Thefiber optic connector assembly comprises a fiber optic plug having aplurality of plug lens chambers. The fiber optic plug comprises a fiberoptic plug body. The fiber optic plug also comprises a fiber optic plugferrule comprising a plurality of plug fiber openings. The fiber opticplug ferrule is disposed in the fiber optic plug body wherein theplurality of plug fiber openings are optically aligned with theplurality of plug lens chambers. The fiber optic plug also comprises aslideable plug shutter having at least one opening configured to bealigned with the plurality of plug lens chambers in the fiber optic plugbody in an open position. The slideable plug shutter is configured toblock access to the plurality of plug lens chambers in the fiber opticplug body in a closed position. The fiber optic plug also comprises aplug actuation member coupled to the slideable plug shutter. The plugactuation member is configured to move the slideable plug shutter fromthe closed position to the open position.

This fiber optic connector assembly also comprises a fiber opticreceptacle. The fiber optic receptacle comprises a fiber opticreceptacle body having a plurality of receptacle lens chambers. Thefiber optic receptacle also comprises a fiber optic receptacle ferrulecomprising a plurality of receptacle fiber openings. The fiber opticreceptacle ferrule is disposed in the fiber optic receptacle bodywherein the plurality of receptacle fiber openings are optically alignedwith the plurality of receptacle lens chambers. The fiber opticreceptacle also comprises a slideable receptacle shutter having at leastone opening configured to be aligned with the plurality of receptaclelens chambers in the fiber optic receptacle body in an open position,and configured to block access to the plurality of receptacle lenschambers in the fiber optic receptacle body in a closed position. Thefiber optic receptacle also comprises a receptacle actuation membercoupled to the slideable receptacle shutter. The receptacle actuationmember is configured to move the slideable receptacle shutter from theclosed position to the open position. The fiber optic connector assemblyalso comprises a mating actuation member disposed on at least one of thefiber optic plug body and fiber optic receptacle body, the matingactuation member configured to engage with at least one of thereceptacle actuation member and the plug actuation member, respectivelyto actuate the at least one of the receptacle actuation member and theplug actuation member, respectively to move at least one of theslideable receptacle shutter and slideable plug shutter, respectively,from the closed position to the open position when the fiber optic plugis mated to the fiber optic receptacle.

Additional features and advantages will be set forth in the detaileddescription which follows, and in part will be readily apparent to thoseskilled in the art from that description or recognized by practicing theembodiments as described herein, including the detailed description thatfollows, the claims, as well as the appended drawings.

It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description andthe following detailed description present embodiments, and are intendedto provide an overview or framework for understanding the nature andcharacter of the disclosure. The accompanying drawings are included toprovide a further understanding, and are incorporated into andconstitute a part of this specification. The drawings illustrate variousembodiments, and together with the description serve to explain theprinciples and operation of the concepts disclosed.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

FIG. 1 is a front perspective view of an exemplary equipment racksupporting rack module housings each supporting a plurality ofinformation processing modules;

FIG. 2A is a front perspective view of exemplary information processingmodules disposed in rack module housings disposed in an equipment rack,with optical backplane extension modules directly optically connected toinformation processing modules in the rear of the rack module housings;

FIG. 2B is a rear perspective view of the optical backplane extensionmodules in FIG. 2A optically connected in the rear of the rack modulehousings to the information processing modules;

FIG. 3 is a rear perspective view of the optical backplane extensionmodules in FIG. 2B optically connected in the rear of the rack modulehousings to information processing modules, with the doors of theoptical backplane extension modules open to show the interior routingand cable management space in the optical backplane extension modules;

FIG. 4A is a right side perspective view of the optical backplaneextension module in FIG. 2B optically connected to the informationprocessing modules in the rear of a rack module housing;

FIG. 4B is a right side perspective view of the information processingmodules in FIG. 4A with rack module housing removed, and illustrating anexemplary dense fiber optic connector assembly facilitating directoptical connections to the information processing modules through theoptical backplane extension module in FIGS. 2A-3;

FIG. 4C is a close-up view of the dense fiber optic connector assemblyin FIG. 4B;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the dense fiber optic connector assemblyin FIG. 4B comprised of dense information processing module fiber opticreceptacles (“blade fiber optic receptacles”) configured to receive andoptically connect to dense optical backplane extension module fiberoptic plugs (“backplane fiber optic plugs”);

FIG. 6A is a close-up perspective view of the backplane fiber opticplugs in FIG. 5;

FIG. 6B is a close-up perspective view of the blade fiber opticreceptacles in FIG. 5;

FIG. 7A is a perspective exploded view of the backplane fiber opticplugs in FIGS. 5 and 6A;

FIG. 7B schematically depicts a method for laser processing a pluralityof optical fibers disposed in the backplane fiber optic plugs in FIG. 7Ausing a protection element disposed between a first row and a second rowof optical fibers;

FIG. 8 is a perspective exploded view of the blade fiber opticreceptacles in FIGS. 5 and 6B;

FIG. 9A is a perspective quarter cut view of an exemplary dense fiberoptic connector assembly configured to support GRIN lenses that may beemployed in the blade fiber optic receptacles in FIGS. 5, 6B, and 8;

FIG. 9B is a perspective cross-section view of an exemplary dense fiberoptic connector assembly supporting blind holes and lenses that may beemployed in the blade fiber optic receptacles in FIGS. 5, 6B, and 8;

FIGS. 10A and 10B are right side perspective views of the shutteredfiber optic receptacles that can be employed as the blade fiber opticreceptacles in FIGS. 5, 6B, and 8 with the slideable shutters disposedin open and closed positions, respectively;

FIGS. 11A and 11B are rear perspective views of another exemplaryshuttered fiber optic receptacle that can be employed as the blade fiberoptic receptacles in FIGS. 5, 6B, and 8 with the slideable shutterdisposed in closed and open positions, respectively;

FIGS. 12A and 12B are side cross-sectional views of the shuttered fiberoptic receptacles in FIGS. 11A, and 11B, respectively, illustrating theslideable shutter disposed in closed and open positions, respectively;

FIG. 13A is a rear perspective view of an exemplary shuttered fiberoptic plug that can be employed as the backplane fiber optic plug inFIGS. 5, 6A, and 7 with the slideable shutter disposed in a closedposition;

FIG. 13B is a rear perspective view of the shuttered fiber optic plug inFIG. 13A, with an actuation mechanism of the slideable shutter actuatedto dispose the slideable shutter in an open position;

FIG. 13C is a close-up view of the slideable shutter actuated to disposethe slideable shutter in an open position in FIG. 13B;

FIG. 14 is a rear perspective view of the shuttered fiber optic plugillustrated in FIG. 13A;

FIG. 15A is a side perspective view of the shuttered fiber opticreceptacle in FIGS. 11A and 11B with the actuation members unactuated toplace the slideable shutters in closed positions before the shutteredfiber optic receptacle receipt of the fiber optic plug body in FIGS.13A-14;

FIG. 15B is a side perspective view of the shuttered fiber opticreceptacle in FIGS. 11A and 11B with the actuation members actuated toplace the slideable shutters in open positions as the shuttered fiberoptic receptacle receives and is mated with the fiber optic plug body inFIGS. 13A-14;

FIG. 16A is a right side perspective view of the front of a rack modulehousing with information processing modules disposed therein;

FIG. 16B is a right side perspective view of the information processingmodules in FIG. 16A without the rack module housing illustrated, andillustrating another exemplary dense fiber optic connector assembly tofacilitate optical connections to the information processing modulesthrough the optical backplane extension module in FIGS. 2A-3;

FIG. 17A is a side perspective view of the dense fiber optic connectorassembly in FIG. 16B comprising a blade fiber optic plug configured toreceive a backplane fiber optic plug;

FIG. 17B is a side perspective view of the dense fiber optic connectorassembly in FIG. 16B with the blade fiber optic plug receiving thebackplane fiber optic plug;

FIG. 18A is a side perspective, exploded view of another exemplary bladefiber optic receptacle and backplane fiber optic plug of a dense fiberoptic connector assembly;

FIG. 18B is another close-up perspective, exploded view of the bladefiber optic receptacle and backplane fiber optic plug of the dense fiberoptic connector assembly in FIG. 18A;

FIG. 19 is another close-up view of the blade fiber optic receptacle andbackplane fiber optic plug of the dense fiber optic connector assemblyin FIGS. 18A and 18B;

FIGS. 20A and 20B are front and rear views, respectively, of anexemplary molded fiber optic plug body that may be employed in a densefiber optic connector assembly;

FIGS. 21A and 21B are front and rear perspective views, respectively, ofthe molded fiber optic plug body in FIGS. 20A and 20B, respectively;

FIG. 22A is a close-up view of the rear perspective view of lead-indetail of the molded fiber optic plug body in FIGS. 20A and 20B;

FIG. 22B is a close-up cutaway view of the lead-in detail of the moldedfiber optic plug body in FIGS. 20A and 20B;

FIG. 23A is a front perspective view of an intermediate organizerferrule configured to facilitate fiber ribbonization and be disposed inthe molded fiber optic plug body in FIGS. 20A and 20B;

FIG. 23B is a rear perspective view of the organizer ferrule in FIG.23A;

FIG. 23C is the organizer ferrule in FIGS. 23A and 23B receiving opticalfibers;

FIG. 24A is a rear perspective cutaway view of the organizer ferrule inFIGS. 23A-23C received in the molded fiber optic plug body in FIGS. 20Aand 20B;

FIG. 24B is a close-up cutaway view of FIG. 24A;

FIG. 25A is a perspective view of a projected fiber guide mold elementthat may be used to mold the fiber lead-in structure of the fiber opticplug body in FIGS. 21A-22B and organizer ferrule in FIGS. 23A-23C,respectfully;

FIG. 25B is a perspective close-up view of the tips of the projectedfiber guide mold element in FIG. 25A;

FIGS. 26 and 27 are front and rear perspective views, respectively, ofthe optical backplane extension module in FIGS. 2A-3;

FIG. 28 is a rear perspective view of the optical backplane extensionmodule in FIG. 27 illustrating a close-up view of the backplane fiberoptic plugs disposed in the rear of the optical backplane extensionmodule and interconnection fiber optic adapters disposed throughinterconnection ports in the side of the optical backplane extensionmodule;

FIG. 29 is a close-up view of the interconnection fiber optic adaptersdisposed through interconnection ports in the side of the opticalbackplane extension module;

FIGS. 30A and 30B are rear and front perspective views, respectively, ofexemplary information processing modules disposed in rack modulehousings, with another exemplary optical backplane extension moduledisposed in the rear of the rack module housing and optically connectedto the information processing modules in the rear of the rack modulehousings using a dense fiber optic connector assembly;

FIGS. 31A and 31B are front and rear perspective views, respectively, ofthe optical backplane extension module in FIGS. 30A and 30B;

FIG. 32A is a close-up view of alignment members disposed in the opticalbackplane extension module to align the optical backplane extensionmodule with the information processing modules disposed in a rack modulehousing;

FIG. 32B is a close-up perspective view of backplane fiber optic plugsdisposed between alignment members in the optical backplane extensionmodule in FIGS. 30A and 30B;

FIG. 33 is a side perspective view and close-up view of bias wheels thatprovides a lower datum for the information processing modules disposedin the rack module housing; and

FIG. 34 is a side perspective view and close-up view of spring-loadedbiasing members configured to push information processing modules downagainst the bias wheels in FIG. 33 to securely align the informationprocessing modules in the rack module housing.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Reference will now be made in detail to the embodiments, examples ofwhich are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which some, butnot all embodiments are shown. Indeed, the concepts may be embodied inmany different forms and should not be construed as limiting herein;rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure willsatisfy applicable legal requirements. Whenever possible, like referencenumbers will be used to refer to like components or parts.

Embodiments disclosed herein include shuttered fiber optic connectorsand assemblies suitable for establishing optical connections for opticalbackplanes in equipment racks and the like. In this regard in oneembodiment, a fiber optic connector is provided. The fiber opticconnector comprises a fiber optic connector body having a first end, asecond end, and an internal chamber disposed between the first end andthe second end. The fiber optic connector also comprises a fiber opticferrule comprising a plurality of lenses. The fiber optic ferrule isdisposed through a first end of the fiber optic connector body andextending in the internal chamber. The fiber optic connector alsocomprises a slideable shutter disposed adjacent an end face of the fiberoptic ferrule. The slideable shutter has at least one opening configuredto be aligned with the plurality of lenses in the fiber optic ferrule inan open position, and configured to block access to the plurality oflenses in the fiber optic ferrule in a closed position. The fiber opticconnector also comprises an actuation member coupled to the slideableshutter, the actuation member configured to move the slideable shutterfrom the closed position to the open position.

In this regard, FIGS. 2A and 2B illustrate a data center 20 illustratingfront and rear perspective views, respectively of an exemplary equipmentrack 22. Although only one equipment rack 22 is illustrated in FIGS. 2Aand 2B, it is understood that a plurality of equipment racks 22 may bepresent at the data center 20. The equipment rack 22 is configured tosupport information processing modules 24 in rack module housings 26disposed in the equipment rack 22. For example, the informationprocessing modules 24 may include computer servers, switches, andcomputer storage devices, and which may be referred to as server bladesand storage blades, respectively. As will be discussed in greater detailbelow, the present disclosure provides fiber optic connectors, connectorassemblies, cables, housings, and other related fiber optic componentsand methods that may be employed to connect and interconnect theinformation processing modules 24 to increase the data throughput ofinformation process modules 24 thus increasing the throughput of thedata center 20. Benefits of optical fiber include extremely widebandwidth and low noise operation, and thus higher data throughput as aresult.

With continuing reference to FIGS. 2A and 2B, because fiber opticcomponents are used to connect and interconnect the informationprocessing modules 24, fiber optic cables are employed. It may be neededor desired to provide fiber optic cable management and neat storage androuting to avoid complexity in maintaining the data center 20 and toavoid or minimizing interfering with air flow between the informationprocessing modules 24 disposing in the rack module housings 26. In thisregard, as will be discussed in more detail below, optical backplaneextension modules 28 can be provided. As illustrated in FIG. 3, theoptical backplane extension modules 28 are configured to be attached tothe rear side 30 of the equipment rack 22 and a rack module housing 26to manage and route fiber optic cables 32 extending from fiber opticconnections to the information processing modules 24.

As illustrated in FIG. 3 generally and described later in thisdisclosure, the optical backplane extension modules 28 each comprise aninterior space 34 defined by an extension module housing 35 formaintaining and routing of the fiber optic cables 32. As illustrated inthe close-up view of the optical backplane extension module 28 in FIG.3, the optical backplane extension modules 28 also support a pluralityof backplane fiber optic connectors 36 attached to the fiber opticcables 32. The optical backplane extension module 28 supports disposingthe backplane fiber optic connectors 36 through a rear side 38 of theextension module housing 35 to form an optical backplane. The opticalbackplane is configured to be directly optically connected tocomplementary fiber optic connectors disposed in information processingmodules 24 to establish fiber optic connections when the opticalbackplane extension modules 28 are installed. By “directly connected,”it is meant that there is not intermediate cabling used to make theconnection. One connector is directly connected to another connector.The fiber optic connections can be intraconnections between informationprocessing modules 24 within the same rack module housing 26 and thusthe same optical backplane extension module 28. However, in oneembodiment, the optical backplane extension modules 28 also containoptical interconnection ports 40 to allow interconnections betweenoptical backplane extension modules 28 and/or direction to informationprocessing modules 24.

Embodiments disclosed herein include dense fiber optic connectorassemblies and related connectors and fiber optic cables suitable forestablishing optical connections for optical backplanes in equipmentracks. In this regard, FIG. 4A illustrates a right side perspective viewof the optical backplane extension module 28 in FIG. 2B directlyoptically connected in the rear of the rack module housing 26 to theinformation processing modules 24. FIGS. 4B and 4C are right sideperspective views of the information processing modules 24 with the rackmodule housing 26 removed. As illustrated in FIG. 4B and the close-upview in FIG. 4C, an exemplary dense fiber optic connector assembly 42 isillustrated and provided to facilitate direct optical connections to theinformation processing modules 24 through the optical backplaneextension module 28 in FIGS. 2A-3. A dense fiber optic connectorassembly or related component is one in which a large number of opticalfibers are supported to provide larger fiber optic connections in adense area. Providing dense fiber optic connections can provide greaterdata throughput. For example, the dense fiber optic connector assembly42 in FIGS. 4B and 4C support any suitable number of fiber opticconnections such as sixty-four (64), one-hundred and twenty-eight (128),two-hundred and fifty-six (256) or more optical fibers for providing thedesired number of fiber optic connections.

With continuing reference to FIGS. 4A-4C, and as will be described ingreater detail below, the dense fiber optic connector assembly 42 iscomprised of one or more fiber optic connectors, which are backplanefiber optic plugs 44 in this embodiment. The backplane fiber optic plugs44 are configured to be disposed through the rear side 38 of theextension module housing 35 (see FIG. 3). By the term “backplane,” itrefers to disposition in the optical backplane extension module 28. Thedense fiber optic connector assembly 42 also comprises one or more bladefiber optic connectors, which are blade fiber optic receptacles 46 inthis embodiment, mounted on the information processing modules 24. Bythe term “blade,” it is meant to refer to a card, board, or othercarrier used to provide the components of an information processingmodule 24 that is mechanically received in the rack module housing 26.The blade fiber optic connectors 46 are connected to components in theinformation processing modules 24 to facilitate transfer of data fromthese components. Thus, when the backplane fiber optic plugs 44 aremated to the blade fiber optic receptacles 46, optical connections areestablished to the information processing modules 24. These opticalconnections can be routed through the fiber optic cables 32 connected tothe backplane fiber optic plugs 44 (see FIG. 3) to other informationprocessing modules 24 through intraconnections in the optical backplaneextension module 38 and/or interconnections through the opticalinterconnection ports 40.

FIG. 5 is a close-up perspective view of the dense fiber optic connectorassembly 42 in FIGS. 4B and 4C. In this example, the dense fiber opticconnector assembly 42 is comprised of dense information processingmodule fiber optic receptacles (“blade fiber optic receptacles 46”)configured to receive and directly optically connect to dense opticalbackplane extension module fiber optic plugs (“backplane fiber opticplugs 44”). FIG. 6A is a close-up perspective view of the backplanefiber optic plugs 44 in FIG. 5. FIG. 6B is a close-up perspective viewof the blade fiber optic receptacles 46 in FIG. 5. Note that the densefiber optic connector assembly 42 is not limited to this connectorconfiguration. For example, the blade fiber optic receptacles 46 couldbe configured as plugs, and the backplane fiber optic plugs 44 could beconfigured as receptacles.

FIG. 7A is a perspective exploded view of the backplane fiber opticplugs 44 in FIGS. 5 and 6A. With reference to FIGS. 5, 6A, and 7, thebackplane fiber optic plugs 44 are comprised of four (4) backplane fiberoptic plugs 44(1)-44(4) in this embodiment. Each backplane fiber opticplug 44 supports sixty-four (64) optical fibers 48(1)-48(4). As will bedescribed in more detailed below, the backplane fiber optic plugs44(1)-44(4) are configured to support multiple fiber optic cables32(1)-32(4) to provide a high density optical fiber count in thebackplane fiber optic plugs 44(1)-44(4). In this embodiment, the fiberoptic cables 32(1)-32(4) are each comprised of a plurality of ribbonizedfiber optic cables; however, other embodiments may use optical fiberswithout cable such as optical fibers that are ribbonized or not.Providing backplane fiber optic plugs 44(1)-44(4) that are configured toreceive ribbonized fiber optic cables is one method of allowing thebackplane fiber optic plugs 44(1)-44(4) to support high density opticalfiber count since ribbonized fiber optic cables are flat and efficientin terms of optical fiber count versus space. Further in thisembodiment, each of the fiber optic cables 32(1)-32(4) are comprised ofa plurality of ribbonized cables which allows flexibility in providingintraconnections and interconnections facilitated by the opticalbackplane extension module 28. Each fiber optic cable 32(1)-32(4) doesnot have to be intraconnected or interconnected to the same fiber opticconnector depending on the design.

With continuing reference to FIGS. 6A and 7, each of the backplane fiberoptic plugs 44(1)-44(4) are disposed in a backplane connector frame 50to group the backplane fiber optic plugs 44(1)-44(4) together. Thebackplane connector frame 50 may be comprised of a plastic member thatis molded or stamped, as non-limiting examples. The backplane connectorframe 50 contains a plurality of openings 52(1)-52(4) configured toreceive the backplane fiber optic plugs 44(1)-44(4). The backplaneconnector frame 50 also contains a suitable number of mounting featuressuch as two tabs 54(1), 54(2) extending from ends 56(1), 56(2) of theconnector frame 50 for mounting the backplane connector frame 50 to therear side 38 of the extension module housing 35 (see FIG. 3). Eachmounting tab 54(1), 54(2) contains an opening 57(1), 57(2) that isconfigured to receive a fastener to secure the backplane connector frame50 with the backplane fiber optic plugs 44(1)-44(4) to the extensionmodule housing 35 (see FIG. 3) to form an optical backplane forconnection to the blade fiber optic receptacles 46(1)-46(4).

FIG. 7A also illustrates more detail of the backplane fiber optic plugs44(1)-44(4). Each backplane fiber optic plug 44(1)-44(4) is comprised ofa fiber optic connector body in the form of a fiber optic plug bodies58(1)-58(4) and a fiber optic ferrule in the form of a fiber optic plugferrules 60(1)-60(4). The fiber optic plug ferrules 60(1)-60(4) areconfigured to be disposed through first ends 62(1)-62(4) of the fiberoptic plug bodies 58(1)-58(4) and disposed in internal chambers in thefiber optic plug bodies 58(1)-58(4). Optical fibers 48(1)-48(4) may beexposed and prepared from the sheaths 64(1)-64(4) of the fiber opticcables 32(1)-32(4) if necessary are aligned with fiber openings66(1)-66(4) disposed in end faces 68(1)-68(4) of the fiber optic plugferrules 60(1)-60(4). The second ends 69(1)-69(4) of the fiber opticplug bodies 58(1)-58(4) contain lenses 70(1)-70(4) are configured to bealigned with the fiber openings 66(1)-66(4) of the fiber optic plugferrules 60(1)-60(4). The lenses 70(1)-70(4) allow for opticalconnections to be made to the optical fibers 48(1)-48(4) when thebackplane fiber optic plugs 44(1)-44(4) are mated to the blade fiberoptic receptacles 46(1)-46(4). With continuing reference to FIG. 7A, thepurpose of the fiber optic plug ferrules 60(1)-60(4) is to hold theoptical fibers 48(1)-48(4) together during fiber processing and duringtheir insertion into the fiber optic plug bodies 58(1)-58(4). Laserprocessing of the optical fibers 48(1)-48(4) can provide a quick andefficient method for producing a high-quality end face on the opticalfibers 48(1)-48(4) for termination. Examples of laser processing thatcan be provided to the optical fibers 48(1)-48(4) are described in U.S.patent application Ser. No. 13/028,799 filed on Feb. 16, 2011 and titled“METHODS FOR LASER PROCESSING ARRAYED OPTICAL FIBERS ALONG WITH SPLICINGCONNECTORS”. In this regard, FIG. 7B depicts a first method for laserprocessing the plurality of optical fibers 48 using a protection element71. Protection element 71 is used for protecting the optical fibers 48in the array that are not intended for laser processing since they arelocated at a further distance from the laser than the optical fibersoptical fibers 48 intended for processing. By way of example, the fiberoptic plug ferrules 60 have the optical fibers 48 disposed in a firstrow 73 at a first distance and a second row 75 at a second distance sothat the laser could not be focused for both distances. More or fewerrows can be provided as desired. As shown, the first row 73 and secondrow 75 of the optical fibers 48 are schematically shown disposed withinthe fiber optic plug ferrules 60. The protection element 71 can reflect,absorb and/or disperse the laser energy after it passes the opticalfibers being processed depending on the type of material used for thesame. For instance, if the protection element 71 is a material that hasa smooth surface such as a machined aluminum, stainless steel, etc. itwill have a high-degree of reflection. On the other hand, if theprotection element 71 is formed from a mica, carbon, ceramic plate orother similar porous material it will have a high-degree of absorption.Still further, the degree of dispersion caused by protection element 71can depend on the surface finish. In other words, the rougher thesurface, the greater the dispersion. Examples of surface finishes onprotection element 71 that can create dispersion are grooves, knurling,etc.

With continued reference to FIG. 7B, the protection element 71 has asmooth surface that has a relatively high degree of reflection of thelaser energy that impinges on the same. The protection element 71 allowsthe laser energy to reach the optical fibers being processed, butinhibits the laser energy from damaging the optical fibers not beingprocessed, other portions of structure 30, or from creating a safetyissue, but the protection element 71 may also absorb and/or disperse aportion of the energy depending on the material used. This laser processmethod also uses an optional laser absorption element 77 to contain thereflected laser energy. As shown in FIG. 7B, the protection element 71is positioned near the ends of the optical fibers 48, and the absorptionelement 77 is disposed above the first row 73 of optical fibers 48 toinhibit the travel of any reflected laser energy from the protectionelement 71.

With reference back to FIG. 7A, the fiber optic plug bodies 58(1)-58(4)can be configured to provide optical transmission to the optical fibers48(1)-48(4) disposed through the fiber optic plug ferrules 60(1)-60(4)through lenses that are molded-in, GRIN lenses, or other suitable lensesdisposed in the fiber optic plug bodies 58(1)-58(4). If molded-in lensesare used, the fiber optic plug bodies 58(1)-58(4) are preferablymanufactured of a light transmission material to provide blind holesinternal to the fiber optic plug bodies 58(1)-58(4) with lenses thatextend to the second ends 69(1)-69(4) of the fiber optic plug bodies58(1)-58(4).

FIG. 8 is a perspective exploded view of the blade fiber opticreceptacles 46 in FIGS. 5 and 6B. With reference to FIGS. 5, 6B and 8,the blade fiber optic receptacles 46 are comprised of four (4) bladefiber optic receptacles 46(1)-46(4) in this embodiment. Each blade fiberoptic receptacle 46(1)-46(4) supports sixty-four (64) optical fibers72(1)-72(4). As will be described in more detailed below, the bladefiber optic receptacles 46(1)-46(4) are configured to support multiplefiber optic cables 74(1)-74(4) to provide the a high optical fiber countin the blade fiber optic receptacles 46(1)-46(4). In this embodiment,the fiber optic cables 74(1)-74(4) are each comprised of a plurality ofribbonized fiber optic cables. Providing blade fiber optic receptacles46(1)-46(4) that are configured to receive ribbonized fiber optic cablesis one method of allowing the blade fiber optic receptacles 46(1)-46(4)to support high density optical fiber count since ribbonized fiber opticcables are flat and efficient in terms of optical fiber count versusspace. Further in this embodiment, each of the fiber optic cables74(1)-74(4) are comprised of a plurality of ribbonized cables whichallows flexibility in providing fiber optic connections to differentcomponent and/or to different areas on the information processingmodules 24.

With continuing reference to FIGS. 6B and 8, each of the backplane fiberoptic receptacles 46(1)-46(4) are disposed in a blade connector frame 76to group the blade fiber optic receptacles 46(1)-46(4) together whendisposed on the information processing module 24. The blade connectorframe 76 may be comprised of a plastic member that is molded or stampedas examples. The blade connector frame 76 contains an opening 78configured to receive the blade fiber optic receptacles 46(1)-46(4). Theblade connector frame 76 also includes suitable mounting features suchas two tabs 80(1), 80(2) extending from ends 82(1), 82(2) of the bladeconnector frame 76 for mounting the blade connector frame 76 to asurface of the information processing module 24 (see FIG. 3). Eachmounting tab 80(1), 80(2) contains an opening 84(1), 84(2) that isconfigured to receive a fastener to secure the blade connector frame 76with the blade fiber optic receptacles 46(1)-46(4) to the informationprocessing module 24 (see FIG. 3) for optical connections. Washers orspacers 85(1), 85(2) may be provided and disposed between the surface ofthe information processing module 24 and the blade connector frame 76.The spacers 85(1), 85(2) may be elastomeric elements that are intendedto allow resilient coupling of the blade fiber optic receptacle 46 withthe backplane fiber optic plug 44. By the spacers 85(1), 85(2) beingelastomeric elements, when the backplane fiber optic plug 44 starts tomate with the blade fiber optic receptacle 46, the spacers 85(1), 85(2)allow the blade fiber optic receptacle 46 to be flexible and moveslightly to allow for the backplane fiber optic plug 44 to properly matewith the blade fiber optic receptacles 44 in the event that thebackplane fiber optic plug 46 and the blade fiber optic receptacles 44are not perfectly aligned.

FIG. 8 also illustrates more detail of the blade fiber optic receptacles46(1)-46(4). Each blade fiber optic receptacle 46(1)-46(4) is comprisedof a fiber optic connector housing in the form of fiber optic receptaclebodies 86(1)-86(4) and a fiber optic ferrule in the form of fiber opticreceptacle ferrules 88(1)-88(4). The fiber optic receptacle ferrules88(1)-88(4) are configured to be disposed through first ends 90(1)-90(4)of the fiber optic receptacle bodies 86(1)-86(4) and disposed ininternal chambers 92(1)-92(4) in the fiber optic receptacle bodies86(1)-86(4). Optical fibers 72(1)-72(4) that are exposed and preparedfrom the sheaths 94(1)-94(4) of the fiber optic cables 74(1)-74(4) arealigned with fiber openings 96(1)-96(4) disposed in end faces98(1)-98(4) of the fiber optic receptacle ferrules 88(1)-88(4). Opticalconnections to the optical fibers 72(1)-72(4) disposed in the fiberoptic receptacle ferrules 88(1)-88(4) are made when the backplane fiberoptic plugs 44(1)-44(4) are inserted into the internal chambers92(1)-92(4) of the fiber optic receptacle bodies 86(1)-86(4). The fiberoptic receptacle bodies 86(1)-86(4) align the fiber optic plug bodies58(1)-58(4) (FIG. 7A) and their lenses 70(1)-70(4) with the fiberopenings 96(1)-96(4) in the end faces 98(1)-98(4) of the fiber opticreceptacle ferrules 88(1)-88(4).

With continuing reference to FIG. 8, the fiber optic receptacle ferrules88(1)-88(4) can be configured to provide optical transmission to theoptical fibers 72(1)-72(4) disposed therein through lenses such asmolded-in, GRIN lenses, or the like disposed in the fiber opticreceptacle ferrules 88(1)-88(4). By way of example, fiber opticreceptacle ferrules 88(1)-88(4) may support GRIN lenses in bores. Inthis regard, FIG. 9A is a perspective quarter cut view of the bladefiber optic receptacles 46(1)-46(4) in FIGS. 5, 6B, and 8, wherein thefiber optic connector bodies 86(1)-86(4) are configured to support GRINlenses.

To assemble the blade fiber optic receptacles 46(1)-46(4), the bladefiber optic receptacles 46(1)-46(4) are disposed through the bladeconnector frame 76. The fiber optic receptacle ferrules 88(1)-88(4) aredisposed through a rear blade connector frame 97. The blade connectorframe 76 and rear blade connector frame 97 are secured to each other bylatches 101 that contain protrusions 103 configured to engage withopenings 105 disposed in the back connector frame 76. Springs107(1)-107(4), 109(1)-109(4) are included to provide spring loading ofthe blade fiber optic receptacles 46(1)-46(4) to the blade connectorframe 76 and rear blade connector frame 97 to allow for movement, whenneeded, to be connected to the backplane fiber optic plugs 44(1)-44(4).

As illustrated in FIG. 9A, a fiber optic receptacle sub-carrier 99(1) ofthe fiber optic receptacle body 86(1) is configured to receive the fiberoptic receptacle ferrule 88(1). In this embodiment, the fiber opticreceptacle sub-carrier 99(1) is comprised of GRIN lens internal chambers100(1) aligned with GRIN lens openings 95(1). The GRIN lens internalchambers 100(1) are configured to support GRIN lenses whose end portionsare disposed at the end face 98(1) through the GRIN lens openings 95(1).The fiber optic receptacle sub-carrier 99(1) is also comprised ofinternal fiber chambers 102(1) to support the optical fibers 72(1) andalign the optical fibers 72(1) with the GRIN lens internal chambers100(1) to align the optical fibers 72(1) with GRIN lenses. The internalfiber chambers 102(1) are comprised of a coated fiber chamber 102A(1)and a bare fiber chamber 102B(1) to securely support the coated portions72A(1) and bare portions 72B(1) of the optical fibers 72(1) to avoidmovement of the optical fibers 72(1) in the fiber optic receptaclesub-carrier 99(1). Note that although only the fiber optic receptaclesub-carrier 99(1) and fiber optic receptacle ferrule 88(1) are discussedwith regard to FIG. 9A, the discussion of FIG. 9A is equally applicableto the other fiber optic receptacle ferrules 88(2)-88(4) and their fiberoptic receptacle sub-carriers 99(2)-99(4).

Alternatively, the fiber optic receptacle bodies 86(1)-86(4) can bemanufactured of a light transmission material having molded-in lenses atthe end of blind holes for receiving optical fiber for opticaltransmissions at the interface. In this regard, FIG. 9B is a perspectivecross-section view of the fiber optic receptacle body 86(1) providing ablind hole lens holder that may be employed in the blade fiber opticreceptacles 46(1)-46(4) in FIGS. 5, 6B, and 8.

As illustrated in FIG. 9B, in this embodiment, a fiber optic receptaclesub-carrier is not employed. The fiber optic receptacle body 86(1) inthis embodiment is comprised of blind hole lenses 104(1). The blind holelenses 104(1) are disposed in the fiber optic receptacle body 86(1). Thefiber optic receptacle body 86(1) is comprised of a light transmissivematerial forming blind holes 106(1) that allow light from the opticalfibers 72(1) to be transmitted through the light transmissive materialand through the blind hole lenses 104(1). The fiber optic receptaclebody 86(1) is comprised of internal fiber chambers 102(1), like in FIG.9A, to support the optical fibers 72(1) and align the optical fibers72(1) with the blind hole lenses 104(1). The internal fiber chambers102(1) are comprised of a coated fiber chamber 102A(1) and a bare fiberchamber 102B(1) to securely support the coated portions 72A(1) and bareportions 72B(1) of the optical fibers 72(1) to avoid movement of theoptical fibers 72(1) in the fiber optic receptacle body 86(1). Note thatalthough only the fiber optic receptacle body 86(1) is discussed withregard to FIG. 9B, the features of FIG. 9B can be applicable to theother fiber optic receptacle bodies 86(2)-86(4).

As will be described in more detail below with regard to FIGS. 10A-15B,the lenses 70(1)-70(4) can be shuttered. Shuttering allows for theoptical fibers 48(1)-48(4) to not be exposed through the lenses70(1)-70(4) when the backplane fiber optic plugs 44(1)-44(4) are notmated to prevent debris from entering the fiber optic plug bodies58(1)-58(4) and affecting optical transmissions when the backplane fiberoptic plugs 44(1)-44(4) are not mated. When the backplane fiber opticplugs 44(1)-44(4) are mated, the shutter exposes the opticaltransmission paths to the optical fibers 48(1)-48(4) through the lenses70(1)-70(4).

Debris entering the fiber optic plug bodies 58(1)-58(4) and enteringthrough the GRIN lens openings 95(1)-95(4) or blind hole lenses104(1)-104(4), as the case may be, can attenuate optical transmissions.As will be described in more detail below with regard to FIGS. 10A-15B,the GRIN lens openings 95(1)-95(4) or blind hole lenses 104(1)-104(4),as the case may be, can be shuttered. Shuttering for the dense fiberoptic connections can be provided in the backplane fiber optic plugs44(1)-44(4) and the blade fiber optic receptacles 46(1)-46(4) when notmated to prevent debris from entering and affecting opticaltransmissions. When the backplane fiber optic plugs 44(1)-44(4) andblade fiber optic receptacles 46(1)-46(4) are mated, the shutter can bedesigned to be actuated to expose the optical transmission paths.

FIGS. 10A and 10B are right side perspective views of shuttered bladefiber optic receptacles 46′(1)-46′(4) that can be employed as the bladefiber optic receptacles 46(1)-46(4) in FIGS. 5, 6B, and 8 with slideableshutters 108(1)-108(4) disposed in open and closed positions,respectively. FIGS. 11A and 11B are rear perspective views of anexemplary shuttered fiber optic receptacle 46′ that can be employed asthe blade fiber optic receptacles 46(1)-46(4) in FIGS. 5, 6B, and 8 withthe slideable shutter 108 disposed in closed and open positions,respectively. FIGS. 12A and 12B are side cross-sectional views of theshuttered fiber optic receptacle housing 86′ in FIGS. 11A, and 11B,respectively, illustrating the slideable shutter 108 disposed in closedand open positions, respectively.

With reference to FIGS. 10A-12B, the shuttered fiber optic receptaclebody 86′ may be a dense fiber optic receptacle housing. The slideableshutter 108 is disposed in the optical transmission paths of the GRINlens openings 95(1)-95(4) or blind hole lenses 104(1)-104(4), as thecase may be, of the fiber optic receptacle body 86′. The slideableshutter 108 has openings 110 configured to be aligned with the GRIN lensopenings 95(1)-95(4) or blind hole lenses 104(1)-104(4), as the case maybe, in the fiber optic receptacle body 86′ in an open position, asillustrated in FIG. 11B. The openings 110 of the slideable shutter 108is also configured to block access to lenses disposed in the GRIN lensopenings 95(1)-95(4) or blind hole lenses 104(1)-104(4), as the case maybe, in a closed position, as illustrated in FIG. 11A. As illustrated inFIGS. 11A and 11B, an actuation member 112 is coupled to the slideableshutter 108. The actuation member 112 is configured to move theslideable shutter 108 from the closed position in FIG. 11A to the openposition in FIG. 11B. The actuation member 112 may be a linear actionactuation member configured to be linearly moved to linearly move theslideable shutter 108. By way of example, the slidable shutter ismovable in a plane that is generally perpendicular to the optical axisof the fiber optic connector.

In this embodiment, because high density fiber count is supported by thefiber optic receptacle ferrule 88′, a low actuation distance isprovided. The slideable shutter 108 can be configured to move at leastthe distance of the inner diameter of the GRIN lens openings 95(1)-95(4)or blind hole lenses 104(1)-104(4), as the case may be, to achieve dustsealing and/or eye safety. The slideable shutter 108 is planar, thin,and requires little actuation distance. It can be actuated in a linearfashion with no rotation by the actuation member 112, as will bedescribed in more detail below. The slideable shutter 108 can be use incollimated beam paths.

For example, as illustrated in FIG. 12A, when the actuation member 112is not pressed down as is provided in FIG. 12B, the slideable shutter108 is not in an open position. Solid sections 114 adjacent the openings110 in the slideable shutter 108 are aligned with the GRIN lens openings95(1)-95(4) or blind hole lenses 104(1)-104(4), as the case may be, in aclosed position, and thus block light transmission in FIG. 12A. In FIG.12B, the solid sections 114 of the slideable shutter 108 are offset fromthe GRIN lens openings 95(1)-95(4) or blind hole lenses 104(1)-104(4),as the case may be, and the openings 110 are aligned with the GRIN lensopenings 95(1)-95(4) or blind hole lenses 104(1)-104(4), as the case maybe, in an open position, and thus light transmission is not blocked.

FIGS. 13A and 13B are perspective views of an exemplary shutteredbackplane fiber optic plug 44′ that can be employed as the backplanefiber optic plug 44 in FIGS. 5, 6A, and 7, with a slideable shutter 116disposed in a closed and open position, respectively. FIG. 13C is aclose-up view of FIG. 13B illustrating the slideable shutter in an openposition. The slideable shutter 116 is an optical path of the lenses 70disposed in the fiber optic plug ferrule 60′ (see FIG. 7A). FIG. 14 is abottom perspective view of the shuttered fiber optic plug 44′illustrated in FIG. 13A. The shuttered backplane fiber optic plug 44′may be a dense backplane fiber optic plug. The slideable shutter 116 hasopenings 118 configured to be aligned with the lenses 70 in the fiberoptic plug ferrule 60 in an open position, as illustrated in FIGS. 13Band 13C. The slideable shutter 116 in this embodiment is protectedbehind a face plate 117 that is configured with openings 119 having thesame geometry as openings 118, but the face plate 117 is optional. Theopenings 118 of the slideable shutter 116 are also configured to blockaccess to the lenses 70 in a closed position, as illustrated in FIG.13A. As illustrated in FIGS. 13A-13C, an actuation member 120 is coupledto the slideable shutter 116. The actuation member 120 is configured tomove the slideable shutter 116 from the closed position in FIG. 13A tothe open position in FIGS. 13B and 13C.

For example, as illustrated in FIG. 13A, when the actuation member 120is not pressed down as is provided in FIGS. 13B and 13C, the slideableshutter 116 is not in an open position. Solid sections 122 adjacent theopenings 118 in the slideable shutter 116 are aligned with the lenses 70in a closed position, and thus block light transmission in FIGS. 13A and14. In FIGS. 13B and 13C, the solid sections 122 of the slideableshutter 116 are offset from the GRIN lens openings 95(1)-95(4) or blindhole lenses 104(1)-104(4), as the case may be, and the openings 118 arealigned with the lenses 70 in an open position, and thus lighttransmission is not blocked.

FIG. 15A is a side perspective view of the shuttered fiber opticreceptacle body 86′ in FIGS. 11A and 11B with the actuation members 112,120 unactuated to place the slideable shutters 108, 116 in closedpositions before the shuttered fiber optic receptacle body 86′ receiptof the fiber optic plug body 58′ in FIGS. 13A-14. FIG. 15B is a sideperspective view of the shuttered fiber optic receptacle body 86′ inFIGS. 11A and 11B with the actuation members 112, 120 actuated to placethe slideable shutters 108, 116 in open positions as the shuttered fiberoptic receptacle body 86′ receives and is mated with the fiber opticplug body 58′ in FIGS. 13A-14.

With continuing reference to FIGS. 15A and 15B, the fiber optic plugbody 58′ contains a mating actuation member 124. The mating actuationmember 124 is comprised of a mount 126 supporting an actuation arm 128.The actuation arm 128 is configured to engage the fiber optic receptacleactuation member 112 when the fiber optic plug body 58′ is received bythe fiber optic receptacle body 86′. The actuation arm 128 contains aprotrusion 130 disposed on a distal end 132 of the actuation arm 128. Asthe fiber optic plug body 58′ is received in the blade fiber opticreceptacle 46′, an end portion 134 of the actuation arm 128 is disposedin an engagement orifice 136 wherein the protrusion 130 will cause alifting force to be disposed in the engagement orifice 136 to move theslideable shutter 108 in the blade fiber optic receptacle 46′ from aclosed to an open position. As the backplane fiber optic plug 44′penetrates the blade fiber optic receptacle 46′, the actuation member120 is indexed to open the slideable shutter 116 disposed in thebackplane fiber optic plug 44′ to an open position.

Other embodiments of dense fiber optic connector assemblies and relatedconnectors and fiber optic cables suitable for establishing opticalconnections for optical backplanes in equipment racks are possible anddisclosed herein. In this regard, FIG. 16A illustrates rack modulehousing 26 with information processing modules 24 disposed therein. FIG.16B is a perspective view of the information processing modules 24 withthe rack module housing 26 removed. As illustrated in FIG. 16B, anotherexemplary dense fiber optic connector assembly 131 is illustrated andprovided to facilitate direct optical connections to the informationprocessing modules 24 through the optical backplane extension module 28illustrated previously in FIGS. 2A-3. As non-limiting examples, thedense fiber optic connector assembly 131 in FIG. 16B can supportsixty-four (64), one-hundred and twenty-eight (128), two-hundred andfifty-six (256) optical fibers to provide one hundred twenty eight (128)or two hundred fifty six (256), or more fiber optic connections,respectively.

FIG. 17A is a side perspective view of the dense fiber optic connectorassembly 131 in FIG. 16B comprising a blade fiber optic receptacle 133configured to receive a backplane fiber optic plug 135. FIG. 17B is aside perspective view of the dense fiber optic connector assembly 133 inFIG. 16B with the blade fiber optic receptacle 133 receiving thebackplane fiber optic plug 135 to establish an optical connectionbetween information processing modules 24 and the optical backplaneextension module 28 illustrated previously in FIGS. 2A-3.

With continuing reference to FIGS. 16B-17B, the fiber optic connectorassembly 131 is comprised of one or more the backplane fiber optic plugs135 configured to be disposed through the rear side 38 of the extensionmodule housing 35 (see FIG. 3). As illustrated in FIG. 17A, thebackplane fiber optic plug 135 is configured to receive a plurality offiber optic cables 138 or optical fibers. In this embodiment, the fiberoptic cables 138 are ribbon cables that are stacked on top of each otherwith their wide axis W₁ disposed along the short axis S₁ of thebackplane fiber optic plug 135. This arrangement allows the backplanefiber optic plug 135 to support a high fiber count and thus provide adense backplane fiber optic plug 135.

With continuing reference to FIGS. 16B-17B, the fiber optic connectorassembly 131 also comprises one or more blade fiber optic receptacles133 mounted on the information processing modules 24. The blade fiberoptic receptacles 133 are connected to components in the informationprocessing modules 24 to facilitate transfer of data from thesecomponents. As illustrated in FIG. 17A, the blade fiber optic receptacle133 is configured to receive a plurality of fiber optic cables 143 oroptical fibers that may be ribbonized. In this embodiment, the fiberoptic cables 143 are ribbon cables that are stacked on top of each otherwith their wide axis W₂ disposed along the short axis S₂ of the bladefiber optic receptacle 135. This arrangement allows the blade fiberoptic receptacle 135 to support a high fiber count and thus provide adense blade fiber optic receptacle 135.

When the backplane fiber optic plugs 135 are mated to the blade fiberoptic receptacles 133, optical connections are established to theinformation processing modules 24. These optical connections can berouted through the fiber optic cables 32 connected to the backplanefiber optic plugs 135 (see FIG. 3) to other information processingmodules 24 through intraconnections in the optical backplane extensionmodule 28 and/or interconnections through the optical interconnectionports 40 (see FIG. 3). The blade fiber optic receptacle 133 include amounting structure 139 that may be spring loaded to allow the bladefiber optic receptacles 133 to move when mounted on informationprocessing modules 24 to assist in axis alignment and connection to thebackplane fiber optic plug 135.

Another exemplary dense fiber optic connector assembly 131′ isillustrated in FIGS. 18A-19B. FIG. 18A is a side perspective, explodedview of a blade fiber optic receptacle 133′ and backplane fiber opticplug 135′ of a dense fiber optic connector assembly 131′. FIG. 18B isanother close-up perspective, exploded view of the blade fiber opticreceptacle 133′ and backplane fiber optic plug 135′ of the dense fiberoptic connector assembly 131′ in FIG. 18A. FIG. 19 is another close-upview of the blade fiber optic receptacle 133′ and backplane fiber opticplug 135′ of the dense fiber optic connector assembly 131′ in FIGS. 18Aand 18B. The dense fiber optic connector assembly 131′ in FIGS. 18A-19is similar to the dense fiber optic connector assembly 131 in FIGS.16B-17B. However, as will be discussed below in more detail, the densefiber optic connector assembly 131′ in FIGS. 18A-19 includes organizerferrules that allow wider, higher fiber count, ribbonized fiber opticcables to be stacked and organized along their wide axis to be supportedin the blade fiber optic receptacle 133′ and the backplane fiber opticplug 135′ to support a dense fiber count.

With reference to FIGS. 18A and 18B, the backplane fiber optic plug 135′supports up to two-hundred and fifty-six (256) optical fibers 137 ormore in a single connector form factor. As will be described in moredetailed below, the backplane fiber optic plug 135′ is configured tosupport multiple stacked fiber optic cables 138(1)-138(4) or opticalfibers for providing a high optical fiber count in the backplane fiberoptic plug 135′. In this embodiment, the fiber optic cables138(1)-138(4) are each comprised of a plurality of ribbonized fiberoptic cables. As illustrated in FIG. 18A, the fiber optic cables138(1)-138(4) are stacked along their wide axis W₃. Providing abackplane fiber optic plug 135′ that is configured to receive ribbonizedfiber optic cables is one method of allowing the backplane fiber opticplug 135′ to support high density optical fiber count since ribbonizedfiber optic cables are flat and efficient in terms of optical fibercount versus space. Further in this embodiment, each of the fiber opticcables 138(1)-138(4) are each comprised of a plurality of ribbonizedcables which allows flexibility in providing intraconnections andinterconnections facilitated by the optical backplane extension module28 (see FIG. 3). Each fiber optic cable 138(1)-138(4) does not have tobe intraconnected or interconnected to the same fiber optic connectordepending on the design.

With continuing reference to FIGS. 18A and 18B, the backplane fiberoptic plug 135′ is comprised of a fiber optic plug body 140. The fiberoptic plug body 140 may be a ferrule body. The fiber optic plug body 140is configured to receive an organizer ferrule 142 that receives thefiber optic cables 138(1)-138(4) in an opening 144 disposed in theorganizer ferrule 142. The organizer ferrule 142 is particularly wellsuited to facilitate ribbonization and insure that optical fibers engagethe connector body 154 in an array structure. In this manner, theorganizer ferrule 142 disposes end portions 146(1)-146(4) of the fiberoptic cables 138(1)-138(4) in a compacted high density to be disposed inan opening 148 in the fiber optic plug body 140. The organizer ferrule142 also facilitates pre-insertion laser processing of massed opticalfibers exposed from the fiber optic cables 138(1)-138(4) for laserprocessing, including, without limitation, using the laser processingexamples discussed above. In this embodiment, the fiber optic cables138(1)-138(4) are disposed in the organizer ferrule 142 along the wideaxis W₄ of the ferrule organizer 142. An adhesive may be provided tosecure the organizer ferrule 142 in the fiber optic plug body 140 duringassembly. The fiber optic plug body 140 and organizer ferrule 142 may becomprised of a plastic member that is molded or stamped, as examples. Asillustrated in FIGS. 18B and 19, the fiber optic plug body 140 has anend face 149 that has a plurality of lenses 151 disposed therein toprovide an optical transmission path to the end portions 146(1)-146(4)of optical fibers 147(1)-147(4) exposed from the fiber optic cables138(1)-138(4).

With continuing reference to FIGS. 18A-19, the fiber optic plug body 140also contains two tabs 150(1), 150(2) extending from the fiber opticplug body 140 for mounting the backplane fiber optic plug 135′ to therear side 38 of the extension module housing 35 (see FIG. 3). Eachmounting tab 150(1), 150(2) contains an opening 152(1), 152(2) (FIG.18B) that is configured to receive a fastener to secure the backplaneconnector frame 50 with the backplane fiber optic plugs 44(1)-44(4) tothe extension module housing 35 (see FIG. 3) to form an opticalbackplane for connection to the blade fiber optic receptacles46(1)-46(4).

FIGS. 18A and 18B illustrate details regarding the components of theblade fiber optic receptacle 133′. The blade fiber optic receptacle 133′includes a fiber optic receptacle body 154 and an organizer ferrule 156.The fiber optic receptacle body 154 is configured to receive theorganizer ferrule 156, which then receives fiber optic cables158(1)-158(4) from the information processing module 24 in an opening160 disposed in the organizer ferrule 156. In this manner, the organizerferrule 156 disposes end portions 162(1)-162(4) of the fiber opticcables 158(1)-158(4) in a compacted high density to form to be disposedin an opening 164 (FIG. 18B) in the fiber optic receptacle body 154. Asillustrated in FIG. 18A, in this embodiment, the wide axis W₅ of thefiber optic cables 138(1)-138(4) are disposed in the organizer ferrule142 along the wide axis W₆ of the ferrule organizer 142. An adhesive maybe provided to secure the organizer ferrule 156 in the fiber opticreceptacle body 154 during assembly. A soft elastomer 165 may bedisposed in the fiber optic receptacle body 154 as illustrated in FIG.19 to enable small movements of the organizer ferrule 156 in theconnection direction axis. The fiber optic receptacle body 154 andorganizer ferrule 156 may be comprised of a plastic member that ismolded or stamped, as examples.

As illustrated in FIG. 18B, the fiber optic receptacle body 154 has anend face 167 disposed in a lens block 168 that has a plurality of lenses170 disposed therein to provide an optical transmission path to endportions 162(1)-162(4) of the optical fibers 166(1)-166(4) (FIG. 18A)exposed from the fiber optic cables 158(1)-158(4). As illustrated inFIG. 19, the lens block 168 also has a plurality of lenses 172 disposedon an end face 173 of the fiber optic plug body 140 side of the fiberoptic receptacle body 154 that are configured to be aligned with the endportions 146(1)-146(1) of the fiber optic cables 138(1)-138(4). In thismanner, the lens block 168 is configured to provide a transmission pathbetween the lenses 170, 172 to optically connect the end portions146(1)-146(4) of the optical fibers 147(1)-147(1) disposed in thebackplane fiber optic plug 135′ to the end portions 162(1)-162(4) of theoptical fibers 166(1)-166(4) disposed in the blade fiber opticreceptacle 133′.

To provide the dense fiber optic connector disclosed herein, the densefiber optic connectors may be molded. In this regard, FIGS. 20A and 20Bare front and rear views, respectively, of an exemplary molded fiberoptic plug body 180 that may be employed in a dense fiber opticconnector assembly. FIGS. 21A and 21B are front and rear perspectiveviews, respectively, of the molded fiber optic plug body 180 in FIGS.20A and 20B. The molded fiber optic plug body 180 may be employed eitheras a blade fiber optic connector or a backplane fiber optic connector.

As illustrated in FIGS. 20A and 21A, the molded fiber optic plug body180 has an end face 182 that includes fiber openings 184 disposed at afirst end 186 to provide optical transmission paths to end portions ofoptical fibers disposed in the molded fiber optic plug body 180. Thefiber openings 184 may be formed by curvatures formed in the end face182 of the molded fiber optic plug body 180 wherein the molded fiberoptic plug body 180 is formed from transmissive material havingmolded-in lenses, as previously described. Alternatively, the fiberopenings 184 may receive GRIN lenses disposed in the molded fiber opticplug body 180 and end portions of the GRIN lenses disposed through theopenings, as previously described. The top row 181 and the bottom row183 of fiber openings disposed in the molded fiber optic plug body 180are provided by the mold in this embodiment for mold robustness only,for example so that another strong material such as steel, can beinserted therein.

As illustrated in FIGS. 20B and 21B, an internal chamber 187 forming anopening 188 is molded into fiber optic plug body 180 on a second end190. The opening 188 is configured to receive an organizer ferrule 192illustrated in FIGS. 23A-23C and described below. A fiber lead-instructure 194 is disposed in the rear 196 of the internal chamber 187 toreceive end portions of optical fibers disposed through the organizerferrule 192. FIG. 22A is a close-up view of the rear perspective view offiber lead-in structure 194 as a detail of the molded fiber optic plugbody 180. As illustrated therein and in FIG. 22B, the fiber lead-instructure 194 is formed as part of the mold forming the internal chamber187. The fiber lead-in structure 194 is comprised of row structures 198with intermediate fiber lead-in areas 200 disposed therebetween.Vertical members 202 are disposed between the row structures 198 andspaced apart by width W to form openings 204 for receiving end portionsof optical fibers. The number of row structures 198 and vertical members202 and the width W between the vertical members 202 determine thenumber of optical fibers that can be supported by the molded fiber opticplug body 180. As an example, the outer diameter of the intermediatefiber lead-in areas 200 may be fifty (50) micrometers (μm) or more tosupport a high density of optical fibers in molded fiber optic plug body180. MT technology or wire EDM may be leveraged to form intermediatefiber lead-in areas 200. The use of wire EDM to form the molded fiberoptic plug body 180 can provide the fiber lead-in structure 194. Forexample, for a target one hundred (100) μm fiber coating, a ten tofifteen (10-15) μm “window” on either side of the square intermediatefiber lead-in areas 200 is available for fiber centering.

FIG. 23A is a front perspective view of the molded intermediateorganizer ferrule 192 configured to facilitate optical fiberribbonization and be disposed in the molded fiber optic plug body 180 inFIGS. 20A and 20B to form a dense fiber optic plug 206 in FIG. 24A. FIG.23B is a rear perspective view of the organizer ferrule 192 in FIG. 23A.FIG. 23C is the organizer ferrule 192 receiving end portions 208 ofoptical fibers 210. As illustrated in FIG. 23A, the molded organizerferrule 192 has an end face 212 that includes openings 214 disposed at afirst end 216 to receive the end portions 208 of the optical fibers 210disposed in the organizer ferrule 192, as illustrated in FIGS. 23C-24B.Note the inclusion of corner ribs 213 in the organizer ferrule 192 toallow high centering accuracy while still allowing draft, whether aribbon, loose tube, or collection of small ribbon fibers are used.

As illustrated in FIG. 23B, an internal chamber 217 forming an opening218 is molded into organizer ferrule 192 on a second end 220. Theopening 218 is configured to receive the end portions 208 of the opticalfibers 210 as illustrated in FIGS. 23C-24B and described below. A fiberlead-in structure 222 is disposed in the rear 224 of the internalchamber 217 to receive the end portions 208 of the optical fibers 210disposed through the organizer ferrule 192. FIG. 24B is a close-up viewof the rear perspective view of fiber lead-in structure 222 of the firstend 216 of the organizer ferrule 192 interfaced with the fiber lead-instructure 194 of the molded fiber optic plug body 180. As illustratedtherein and in FIG. 23B, the fiber lead-in structure 222 is formed aspart of the mold forming the internal chamber 217. The fiber lead-instructure 222 is comprised of a plurality of the through holes 226disposed in the rear 224 of the molded organizer ferrule 192 that formthe openings 214 in the end face 212, as illustrated in FIG. 24B. Thenumber of through holes 226 determines the number of optical fibers thatcan be supported by the organizer ferrule 192.

FIG. 25A is a perspective view of a projected fiber guide mold element230 that may be used to mold the internal chambers 187, 217 and fiberlead-in structures 194, 222 in the fiber optic plug body 180 in FIGS.21A-22B and the organizer ferrule 192 in FIGS. 23A-23C, respectfully.FIG. 25B is a perspective close-up view of the fiber lead-in mold tips232 of the projected fiber guide mold element 230 in FIG. 25A. Theprojected fiber guide mold elements 230 may be constructed out of asuitable steel. As illustrated in FIGS. 25A and 25B, the fiber lead-inmold tips 232 of the projected fiber guide mold element 230 form thenegative of the fiber lead-in structures 194, 222. The number of fiberlead-in mold tips 232 dictates the number of optical fibers supported.As illustrated in FIGS. 25A and 25B, there are up to two-hundred andfifty-six (256) fiber lead-in mold tips 232 or more to support up to twohundred fifty six (256) optical fibers or more.

As illustrated in FIG. 25B, the intermediate members 238 aresquare-shaped to form square-shaped passages when molding using theprojected fiber guide mold element 230. Square-shaped passages canprovide stronger mold elements as opposed to circular-shaped passages.Square-shaped passages also allow easier optical fiber insertion toreduce friction on the optical fiber and to provide additional space tosupport epoxy placing less sheer force on the optical fibers insertedtherein. The end portions 234 of the fiber lead-in mold tips 232 arealso square-shaped.

One purpose of the design of the mass array of the fiber lead-in moldtips 232 was to allow them to be brought against or adjacent to a planarmold surface. This may simplify the projected fiber guide mold element230 by eliminating the need for a female side in which the fiber lead-inmold tips 232 are inserted into. In one embodiment, the array of fiberlead-in mold tips 232 could be brought into contact with a planarsurface and open up the square-shaped members end portions 234 by abrushing or grinding operation. As an example, the fiber lead-in moldtips 232 of the projected fiber guide mold element 230 can be broughtproximate to a planar surface in the mold. A secondary operation can beprovided to open up the internal chambers 187, 217 formed by the fiberlead-in mold tips 232. The projected fiber guide mold element 230 usedin a mold where the projected fiber guide mold element 230 is brought upagainst a planar mold surface such that the fiber lead-in mold tips 232seal off.

With continuing reference to FIG. 25B, the side length or width of thetips 232 is SL (e.g., 100 um). The end portions 234 of the tips 232 areformed at the end of a length L of end sections 236 of the tips 232. Theend section 236 is designed to provide a lead-in for a bare opticalfiber and is sized appropriately. The intermediate member 238 isdesigned to provide a lead-in for a coated optical fiber and thus issized larger than the end section 236. In one embodiment, the length Lof the end sections 236 of the tips 232 is approximately one to threetimes the length of the side length SL of the end portions 234 of tips232. This sizing is provided to provide an angled lead-in for theoptical fiber as it is disposed in a lead-in formed by the fiber lead-inmold tip 232. If the ratio of length L of the end sections 236 of thetips 232 to the length of the side length SL of the end portions 234 oftips 232 is less than one (1), suppression of angular error may not beaccomplished introducing optical attentuation.

More detail regarding the optical backplane extension module 28illustrated in FIGS. 2A-3 will now be described. In this regard, FIGS.26 and 27 are front and rear perspective views, respectively, of theoptical backplane extension module 28. The optical backplane extensionmodule 28 comprises the interior space 34 defined by the extensionmodule housing 35 for maintaining and routing of the fiber optic cables32 (see FIG. 3). The optical backplane extension module 28 support aplurality of backplane fiber optic connectors 36 attached to the fiberoptic cables 32, which in this embodiment are backplane fiber opticplugs 44 described above.

As illustrated in FIGS. 26-28, the optical backplane extension module 28supports disposing the fiber optic connectors 36 through a rear side 38of the extension module housing 35 to form an optical backplane 240. Thefiber optic connectors 36 are disposed through the rear side 38 of theextension module housing 35 along longitudinal axis A₁. The opticalbackplane 240 is provided to allow the backplane fiber optic connectors36 to be directly optically connected to blade fiber optic connectorsdisposed in information processing modules 24. The backplane fiber opticconnectors 36 may be comprised of different types of fiber opticconnectors supporting different numbers of optical fibers. For example,as illustrated in FIGS. 26 and 27, the backplane fiber optic connector36A is configured to be connected to a blade switch fiber opticconnector. As an example, the switch fiber optic connector could be amonolithic connector that has enough fiber count to support connectionsto the other backplane fiber optic connectors 36B, with the fiber countbeing multiple of the number of other backplane fiber optic connectors36B. The backplane fiber optic connectors 36B are configured to beconnected to a server or data storage information processing modules 24.

With continuing reference to FIG. 26, the extension module housing 35defines the interior space 34 by a base 242, a left side 244 disposed ona left end 245 of the base 242, and a right side 246 disposed on a rightend 247 of the base 242. The rear side 38 is disposed on a rear end 248of the base 242. A top side 250 is disposed on a top end 252 of the base242. The base 242, left side 244, right side 246, rear side 38, and topside 250 form the extension module housing 35. A door 254 is hinged tobase 242 to allow the internal chamber 34 to be closed off and openedfor access.

The optical interconnection ports 40 are illustrated in more detail inFIGS. 28 and 29. The optical interconnection ports 40 are disposedthrough the extension module housing 35 to allow fiber opticinterconnections between the backplane fiber optic connectors 36 formingthe optical backplane 240 and backplane fiber optic connectors 36located outside of the extension module housing 35. For example, it maybe desirable to optically connect one or more backplane fiber opticconnectors 36 to other information processing modules 24 not opticallyconnected to the backplane extension module 28 and/or other backplaneextension modules 28 located in other areas of an equipment rack.Otherwise, the door 254 could not be fully closed on the backplaneextension module 28 if fiber optic interconnections are desired. In thisregard, fiber optic adapters 256 can be disposed in the opticalinterconnection ports 40 to allow for fiber optic interconnections inthe backplane extension module 28. Debris shutters 258 may be providedas part of the fiber optic adapters 256 to prevent debris from enteringthe fiber optic adapters 256 when not in use. FIG. 28 shows the debrisshutters 258 closed, and FIG. 29 shows the debris shutters 258 open.

Other forms of the backplane extension module are possible. For example,FIGS. 30A and 30B are rear and front perspective views, respectively, ofanother backplane extension module 28′ attached to a rack module housing26. The rack module housing 26 supports information processing modules24 as previously described. In this embodiment, the backplane extensionmodule 28′ includes an extension module housing 35′ that is notrectangular and does not have the same height along the opticalbackplane. The extension module housing 35′ is configured with differentminimum height H₁ and maximum height H₂ to improve air flow from theinformation processing modules 24 in the rack module housing 26. This isbecause the fiber optic connectors disposed in the extension modulehousing 35′ are not the same height, as illustrated in FIGS. 31A and 31Bdiscussed below. Thus, the height of the extension module housing 35′can be tailored to avoid unnecessarily reducing air flow.

FIGS. 31A and 31B are front and rear perspective views, respectively, ofthe optical backplane extension module 28′ in FIGS. 30A and 30B. Asillustrated in FIG. 31B, a number of backplane fiber optic connectors36′ are disposed through a rear side 38′ of the extension module housing35′ to provide an optical backplane 41 similar to that described abovewith respect to the optical backplane extension module 28. Asillustrated, some of the backplane fiber optic connectors 36A′ are lessin height than other backplane fiber optic connectors 36B′. Thus, theheight of the extension module housing 35′ is provided as a non-planarheight to avoid the height of the extension module housing 35′ beinggreater than needed to support the backplane fiber optic connectors 36A′and backplane fiber optic connectors 36B′ forming the optical backplane41. This will reduce the surface area of the rear side 38′ that isabutted adjacent to the rack module housing 26 when the extension modulehousing 35′ is installed to reduce blocking air flow. Also, thebackplane fiber optic connectors 36A′ and 36B′ are provided in pairs forredundant fiber optic connections in this embodiment.

When installing the optical backplane extension module 28′ to a rackmodule housing 28, it is important to align the optical backplane 41with the fiber optic connectors disposed on the information processingmodules 24 for proper connection. Any alignment errors increase amongstacked rack module housings 28. In this regard, FIG. 32A is a close-upview of alignment members 260 disposed in the rear side 38′ of theoptical backplane extension module 28′ to align the optical backplaneextension module 28′ with the information processing modules 24 disposedin a rack module housing 26. FIG. 32B is a close-up perspective view ofbackplane fiber optic connectors 36 disposed between alignment members260 in the optical backplane extension module 28′. The alignment members260 are disposed on the exterior side of the rear side 38′ of theextension module housing 35′.

With reference to FIGS. 32A and 32B, the alignment members 260 areconfigured to engage with a complementary alignment member disposed inthe rack module housing 26 to align the plurality of backplane fiberoptic connectors 36 with the plurality of blade fiber optic connectors.The intent of providing the alignment members 260 is to provide a moreaccurate rack module housing 26 for optical information processingmodules 24, which may in turn allow simplified fiber optic connectors tobe employed.

With continuing reference to FIGS. 32A and 32B, in this embodiment, thealignment members 260 are formed from a non-planar surface 262 disposedin the rear side 38′ of the extension module housing 35′. The non-planarsurface 262 is comprised of a plurality of protrusions 264 forming aplurality of grooves 266 each formed between adjacent protrusions 264among the plurality of protrusions 264. Because the backplane fiberoptic connectors 36′ are disposed through the rear side 38′ of theextension module housing 35′ in a fixed, known location, the backplanefiber optic connectors 36 are located in known fixed location withrespect to the alignment members 260. When the alignment members 260mate with complementary grooves and alignment members 260 in the rackmodule housing 26, an alignment is forced to the extension modulehousing 35′ that will assist in proper connection between the backplanefiber optic connectors 36′ and the blade fiber optic connectors. Thealignment members 260 may be disposed in the optical backplane extensionmodule 28 in FIGS. 2A-3 as well.

It may also be desired to provide for the base member 267 in which thealignment members 260 are disposed to extend out beyond the rear side38′ of the backplane extension housing 35′ to extend into the rackmodule housing 26. In this manner, the information processing modules 24can be disposed on their bottom ends with the base member 267 andregister with the base member 267 through a registration means. In thiscase, since both the information processing modules 24 and the backplanefiber optic connectors 36′ would be fixedly disposed in the base member267, alignment is forced to exist between the backplane fiber opticconnectors 36′ and the blade fiber optic connectors 46 (see FIG. 4B).

Even with alignment of backplane fiber optic connectors 36, 36′ alignedwith the rack module housing 26, the information processing modules 24can be aligned and provided in known locations in the rack modulehousing 26. In this manner, alignment of an optical backplane extensionmodule 28, 28′ with the rack module housing 26 will ensure an alignmentbetween the backplane fiber optic connectors 36, 36′ and the blade fiberoptic connectors. It may be desired to provide both vertical andhorizontal alignment of the information processing modules 24 in therack module housing 26.

In this regard, FIG. 33 is a side perspective view and close-up view ofbias wheels 270 that provides a lower datum for the informationprocessing modules 24 disposed in the rack module housing 26. Only onebias wheel 270 is shown, but a plurality of bias wheels 270 can beprovided, including one for each information processing module 24. Thebias wheel 270 is mounted to a mounting structure 273. The bias wheel270 is allowed to rotate in the mounting structure 273. As illustratedin FIG. 33, the bias wheel 270 is disposed in an interior space 272 on abase 274 of the rack module housing 26 in alignment with an insertionslot for an information processing module 24. For example, the base 274may be the base member 267 in which the alignment members 260 aredisposed to extend out beyond the rear side 38′ of the backplaneextension housing 35′ to extend into the rack module housing 26. Whenthe information processing module 24 is inserted in rack module housing26, a bottom 276 of the information processing module 24 will engage thebias wheel 270. The bias wheel 270 will ensure the informationprocessing module 24 is disposed in a fixed, known vertical locationwith the rack module housing 26 for vertical alignment.

To provide an upper datum for horizontal alignment of informationprocessing modules 24 disposed in the rack module housing 26, FIG. 34 isprovided. FIG. 34 illustrates a side perspective view and close-up viewof spring-loaded biasing members 280. A spring-loaded biasing member 280may be provided for each slot in the rack module housing 26 that canaccept an information processing module 24. The spring-loaded biasingmember 280 is installed at the top interior side 282 of the rack modulehousing 26 to be disposed above an information processing module 24 wheninstalled in the rack module housing 26. The spring-loaded biasingmember 280 comprises an alignment member 284 configured with a slot 286to receive a spring 288. The spring 288 abuts the top interior side 282of the rack module housing 26. When an information processing module 24is inserted into the rack module housing 26, the top interior side 282of the information processing module 24 is configured to abut and thealignment member 284 is configured push down against informationprocessing module 24 to form an upper datum. Along with the lower datumprovided by the bias wheels 270 in FIG. 33, the spring-loaded biasingmember 280 assists in vertical alignment of the information processingmodule 24 disposed in the rack module housing 26.

Further, as used herein, it is intended that terms “fiber optic cables”and/or “optical fibers” include all types of single mode and multi-modelight waveguides, including one or more optical fibers that may beupcoated, colored, buffered, ribbonized and/or have other organizing orprotective structure in a cable such as one or more tubes, strengthmembers, jackets or the like. The optical fibers disclosed herein can besingle mode or multi-mode optical fibers. Likewise, other types ofsuitable optical fibers include bend-insensitive optical fibers, or anyother expedient of a medium for transmitting light signals. An exampleof a bend-insensitive, or bend resistant, optical fiber is ClearCurve®Multimode fiber commercially available from Corning Incorporated.Suitable fibers of this type are disclosed, for example, in U.S. PatentApplication Publication Nos. 2008/0166094 and 2009/0169163, thedisclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference in theirentireties.

Many modifications and other embodiments of the embodiments set forthherein will come to mind to one skilled in the art to which theembodiments pertain having the benefit of the teachings presented in theforegoing descriptions and the associated drawings. For example,embodiments provide for fiber optic plugs to be disposed on the opticalbackplane extension module and fiber optic receptacles to be disposed onthe information processing modules, the opposite configuration could beprovided and is encompassed within the scope of the disclosure and theclaims. Fiber optic receptacles could be disposed in the opticalbackplane extension module and fiber optic plugs disposed on theinformation processing modules.

Therefore, it is to be understood that the description and claims arenot to be limited to the specific embodiments disclosed and thatmodifications and other embodiments are intended to be included withinthe scope of the appended claims. It is intended that the embodimentscover the modifications and variations of the embodiments provided theycome within the scope of the appended claims and their equivalents.Although specific terms are employed herein, they are used in a genericand descriptive sense only and not for purposes of limitation.

We claim:
 1. A fiber optic connector assembly, comprising: a fiber opticconnector; a slideable shutter disposed in the fiber optic connector,the slideable shutter having at least one opening configured to beoptically aligned with a plurality of lenses disposed in the fiber opticconnector in an open position, and configured to block access to theplurality of lenses in a closed position; and an actuation membercoupled to the slideable shutter, the actuation member configured to bemoved an actuation distance to move the slideable shutter from theclosed position to the open position.
 2. The fiber optic connectorassembly of claim 1, wherein the slideable shutter is movable in a planeperpendicular to the optical axis of the fiber optic connector.
 3. Thefiber optic connector assembly of claim 1, wherein the slideable shutteris comprised of a planar body.
 4. The fiber optic connector assembly ofclaim 1, wherein the actuation member is comprised of a linear actionactuation member configured to be linearly moved an actuation distanceto move the slideable shutter from the closed position to the openposition.
 5. The fiber optic connector assembly of claim 1, wherein thefiber optic connector comprises a fiber optic connector body having afirst end, a second end, and an internal chamber disposed between thefirst end and the second end; a fiber optic ferrule comprising aplurality of fiber openings, the fiber optic ferrule disposed through afirst end of the fiber optic connector body and extending in theinternal chamber.
 6. The fiber optic connector assembly of claim 1,wherein the slideable shutter is disposed adjacent an end face of thefiber optic connector.
 7. The fiber optic connector assembly of claim 6,wherein the fiber optic connector is comprised of a fiber optic plugbody, and wherein the end face of the fiber optic ferrule is adjacent asecond end of the fiber optic connector body.
 8. The fiber opticconnector assembly of claim 6, wherein the fiber optic connector body iscomprised of a fiber optic receptacle body, and wherein the end face ofthe fiber optic ferrule is disposed in the internal chamber between thefirst end and the second end.
 9. The fiber optic connector assembly ofclaim 1, wherein the actuation member is configured to move theslideable shutter from the closed position to the open position when thefiber optic connector is mated to a complementary fiber optic connector.10. The fiber optic connector assembly of claim 1, wherein the actuationmember extends through the fiber optic connector and is exposed externalto the fiber optic connector.
 11. The fiber optic connector assembly ofclaim 10, further comprising an engagement orifice disposed on an end ofthe actuation member exposed external to the fiber optic connector,wherein an engagement of the engagement orifice is configured to actuatethe actuation member to move the slideable shutter from the closedposition to the open position.
 12. The fiber optic connector assembly ofclaim 10, further comprising an engagement tab disposed on an end of theactuation member exposed external to the fiber optic connector, whereinan engagement of the engagement tab is configured to actuate theactuation member to move the slideable shutter from the closed positionto the open position.
 13. The fiber optic connector assembly of claim 1,further comprising a face plate disposed on an end of the fiber opticconnector, the face plate comprising at least one opening configured toalign with the at least one opening of the slideable shutter when theslideable shutter is in the open position.
 14. The fiber optic connectorassembly of claim 13, wherein the at least one opening is comprised of aplurality of row openings, the slideable shutter configured to align theplurality of row openings to the plurality of lenses in the openposition, and configured to block access to the plurality of lenses inthe closed position.
 15. The fiber optic connector assembly of claim 1,wherein the actuation distance is at least the diameter of a lens amongthe plurality of lenses.
 16. The fiber optic connector assembly of claim1, wherein the slideable shutter is comprised of a metal material todissipate heat.
 17. The fiber optic connector assembly of claim 1,disposed in a backplane of an optical backplane extension module. 18.The fiber optic connector assembly of claim 1, disposed in aninformation processing module blade.
 19. A method of providing access toplurality of lenses in a fiber optic connector assembly, comprising:providing a fiber optic connector; and actuating an actuation membercoupled to a slideable shutter disposed in the fiber optic connector tomove the slideable shutter to align at least one opening disposed in theslideable shutter with a plurality of lenses in an open position. 20.The method of claim 19, further comprising deactuating the actuationmember block access to the plurality of lenses through the at least oneopening disposed in the fiber optic connector.
 21. The method of claim19, comprising actuating the actuation member when the fiber opticconnector is mated to a complementary fiber optic connector.
 22. Themethod of claim 19, wherein actuating the actuation member comprisesengaging an engagement orifice disposed on an end of the actuationmember exposed external to the fiber optic connector.
 23. The method ofclaim 19, wherein actuating the actuation member comprises engaging anengagement tab disposed on an end of the actuation member exposedexternal to the fiber optic connector.
 24. A fiber optic connectorassembly, comprising: a fiber optic plug comprising: a fiber optic plugbody having a plurality of plug lens chambers; a fiber optic plugferrule comprising a plurality of plug fiber openings, the fiber opticplug ferrule disposed in the fiber optic plug body wherein the pluralityof plug fiber openings are optically aligned with the plurality of pluglens chambers; and a slideable plug shutter having at least one openingconfigured to be aligned with the plurality of plug lens chambers in thefiber optic plug body in an open position, and configured to blockaccess to the plurality of plug lens chambers in the fiber optic plugbody in a closed position; and a plug actuation member coupled to theslideable plug shutter, the plug actuation member configured to move theslideable plug shutter from the closed position to the open position;and a fiber optic receptacle comprising: a fiber optic receptacle bodyhaving a plurality of receptacle lens chambers; a fiber optic receptacleferrule comprising a plurality of receptacle fiber openings, the fiberoptic receptacle ferrule disposed in the fiber optic receptacle body,wherein the plurality of receptacle fiber openings are optically alignedwith the plurality of receptacle lens chambers; and a slideablereceptacle shutter having at least one opening configured to be alignedwith the plurality of receptacle lens chambers in the fiber opticreceptacle body in an open position, and configured to block access tothe plurality of receptacle lens chambers in the fiber optic receptaclebody in a closed position; and a receptacle actuation member coupled tothe slideable receptacle shutter, the receptacle actuation memberconfigured to move the slideable receptacle shutter from the closedposition to the open position; and a mating actuation member disposed onat least one of the fiber optic plug body and fiber optic receptaclebody, the mating actuation member configured to engage with at least oneof the receptacle actuation member and the plug actuation member,respectively, to actuate the at least one of the receptacle actuationmember and the plug actuation member, respectively, to move at least oneof the slideable receptacle shutter and slideable plug shutter,respectively, from the closed position to the open position when thefiber optic plug is mated to the fiber optic receptacle.
 25. The fiberoptic connector assembly of claim 24, wherein the mating actuationmember is comprised of a mating actuation arm extending from the atleast one of the fiber optic plug body and the fiber optic receptaclebody.
 26. The fiber optic connector assembly of claim 25, furthercomprising a protrusion disposed on a distal end of the mating actuationarm configured to engage the at least one of the receptacle actuationmember and the plug actuation member to actuate the at least one of thereceptacle actuation member and the plug actuation member as the fiberoptic plug is mated to the fiber optic receptacle.
 27. The fiber opticconnector assembly of claim 24, further comprising an indexed memberdisposed in the fiber optic receptacle body configured to actuate theplug actuation member disposed in the fiber optic plug body when thefiber optic plug body is mated to the fiber optic receptacle.
 28. Thefiber optic connector assembly of claim 26, wherein the protrusion isconfigured to lift the at least one of the receptacle actuation memberand the plug actuation member to actuate the at least one receptacleactuation member as the fiber optic plug is mated to the fiber opticreceptacle.